Contents1.INTRODUCTION31.1.HISTORY OF WAYANG KULIT32.HOW TO PLAY WAYANG KULIT4

WAYANG KULIT

1. INTRODUCTION

2.1. HISTORY OF WAYANG KULIT

The Indonesian word 'wayang' is derived from a word meaning 'shadow' or 'ghost'. These intricately cut and perforated shadow puppets are made from buffalo hide. 'Kulit' means 'leather' or 'skin'. Today, it is spread out, in various forms and guises, across Asia - from Turkey and China to Indonesia and of course, Malaysia. Wayang Kulit is a traditional theater art-form using puppets and shadow-play to tell the epic tales of the ancient classical Hindu legends, Mahabharata and Ramayana. The puppets are made of buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. There may be as many as 45 puppets - handled entirely by a single master puppeteer, known as the Tok Dalang. There are four main varieties of the form in this country: the Wayang Kulit Siam of Kelantan; the Wayang Gedek, performed by the Thai communities of Kedah and Perlis; the Wayang Kulit Jawa, performed by the Javanese communities in Selangor and Johor; and the Wayang Kulit Melayu, performed by the Javanese communities of Terengganu. Today, only the first two are performed. In Malaysia, the most well-known style of wayang kulit is the Wayang Kulit Siam, practiced principally in the north-eastern state of Kelantan as well as in the Patani region of southern Thailand. Wayang Kulit Siam is performed in the Kelantanese-Patani dialect of Malay. Repertoire is largely based on Malay oral and literary versions of the ancient Hindu epic, the Ramayana, which tell of the adventures of Seri Rama and his consort Siti Dewi. 2. HOW TO PLAY WAYANG KULIT

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...Origin:
The term Wayang is the Japanese word for shadow, or Bayang in Indonesian and Malay. In modern Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, Wayang is often associated with the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance.
History:
Wayang is a general term meaning traditional theatre in Indonesia. This art was imported from India or China, both of which have a long tradition of shadow puppetry and theatre in general. However, there very well may have been ingenious storytelling traditions that had a big impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre.
WayangKulit is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The plays are based on romantic tales, especially the classic Indian epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local happening or other local secular stories. It is up to the conductor or dalang or puppeteer to decide his direction.
The dalang is the narrator for the entire performance. He sits behind the screen and narrates the story. With a traditional orchestra in the background to provide a melody and its conventional rhythm, the dalang changes his voice to create suspense thus heightening the drama.
Wayang...

...development, social issues, education, and many more.
WAYANGKULITWayangKulit is a traditional form of theatre that uses puppets, and the concept of light and shadow. In Javanese, the word 'wayang' means shadow. The origins of wayangkulit is debatable, though it seems to have heavy Javanese and Indian influences. Wayangkulit existed in Laos and Thailand from more than 300 years ago. According to history, around 250 years ago, it was performed for Kelantan royalty, where it first took root in Malaysia.
There are four varieties of wayangkulit found in Southeast Asia: wayangkulit Jawa, or wayangkulit purwo, performed in Javanese, with Malay in the local slang, by Javanese communities in Selangor and Johor; wayangkulit Siam, or wayangkulit Kelantan, performed in the Kelantanese slang; wayangkulit gedek, performed in Thai, with Malay in the local slang, by Thai communities in Kedah and Perlis; and wayangkulit Melayu, performed in Malay by the Javanese communities in Terengganu. Originally, all four of these forms had influences from Java and Patani, but were eventually altered and customized according to the local people. Today, the most...

...History of WayangWayang is a Javanese word for theatre. When the term is used to refer to kinds of puppet theatre, sometimes the puppet itself is referred to as wayang. There is no evidence that wayang existed before Hinduism came to southeast Asia sometime in the first century CE. However, there very well may have been indigenous storytelling traditions that had a profound impact on the development of the traditional puppet theatre. The first record of a wayang performance is from an inscription dated 930 CE, which says "si Galigi mawayang," or "Sir Galigi played wayang". From that time till today it seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have remained. Galigi was an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event we know he performed a story about the hero Bima from the Mahabharata.
Hinduism arrived in Indonesia from India even before the Christian era, and was slowly adopted as the local belief system. Sanskrit became the literary and court language of Java and later of Bali. The Hindus changed the Wayang (as did the Muslims, later) to spread their religion, mostly by stories from the Mahabharata or the Ramayana. Later this mixture of religion and wayang play was praised as harmony between Hinduism and traditional Indonesian culture. On Java, the western part of Sumatra and some...

...OF WAYANGKULITWayangKulit is the earliest theatrical art form in Southeast Asian countries. It existed in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand approximately a thousand years ago.
WayangKulit in Malaysia has been around since 300 to 400 years ago.
Based on historical records, WayangKulit was performed in the palace of the first Malay King who ruled the state of Kelantan 200 years ago.
The word ‘wayang’ according to the Javanese language means shadows or silhouettes while the Kelantanese call it woye or ghoye.
There are various opinions concerning the arrival of the WayangKulit in Malaya.
Three theories that can be associated with the arrival of the WayangKulit is that it has its origins from India, China and Java.
BASED OF STUDY
Kajian Malaysia, Vol. 30, No. 1, 2012, 145–147
Dalang Hassan Daud of Kota Baru, and an overview of some of the attempts that
are being made to preserve the wayangkulit in Malaysia. Chapter four provides the reader with five actual wayangkulit scripts.
Each script includes a description
of the setup, cast of characters (puppets), dialogue in English, and practical
advice for performing the scripts.
Ideas about how to teach Malaysian shadow puppet...